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Annapolis Adventure

The Rope

The Dock

Flags Flying

Mallard Reflection

Mallard Colors

Morning Lines

Waking up at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday morning wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be because I was looking forward to my adventure with Elliot Stern on a one-day photography field trip in Annapolis, Maryland.

We met at the docks downtown as the sun was just approaching the horizon, and along with three other photographers we began our single focal length workshop at the water’s edge. The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show was in progress and made for some colorful flags and fun reflections, and we enjoyed meeting a variety of people who were also taking advantage of the lovely weather and beautiful boats.

I brought my Sony A7 and FE35mm 2.8 lens and traveled light. I’ve grown to really love this camera and lens combination, and I made time the previous day to delve into Brian Smith’s book Sony A7/A7r “From Snapshots to Great Shots.” The book has really helped me to fine-tune my settings, and I was grateful to have the knowledge to set up a custom shooting menu prior to this field trip.

We walked around downtown Annapolis for about five hours, photographing a variety of areas, from the waterfront to the old neighborhoods and the Maryland State House. We worked together, identifying interesting compositions and textures, discussing camera settings and experimenting with a variety of points of view.

After a delicious lunch of Maryland crab cakes and yet more engaging photography talk, there was just enough time to beat the meter reader. Thankfully, the drive home on the Washington D.C. Beltway was busy enough that it kept me awake and alert. I don’t often travel East into civilization, but this excursion was definitely worth the early morning wake-up call and was a wonderful way to enrich my photography knowledge and visit with friends.

I don’t live near the water, so I really appreciate good photos from a marina. The Dock especially caught my eye – details are so interesting. And I like the The Lines, the picture of the boats reflected in the water. All the masts can make for a very busy, challenging photo, but I think you’ve done a good job of cutting through the clutter. Looks like you had a fun day.

Thanks Betty! It does take an effort to get to the water, but each time I go I’m reminded about how much I enjoy this different scenery. I shot a lot of different images of the reflections and boats. It was interesting how just the slightest angle change and composition adjustment made the image work…or not. I had a lot of deletes in that group of boats, that’s for sure!

My Story

For the past 25 years, my professional photography career has been focused on horses in sport, however, I'm now in the process of exploring the nature and fine art realms. I hope you enjoy the variety of images I'll be posting during the year. I look forward to your comments and critiques!